Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-28
THE PANHANDLE.
The Question of Settling up West Texas
Depends soleIy Upon the Wise Ad-
ministratiOn of the Land Laws.
Short Interview With General G.. NJ
Dodge of the Fort Worth and Denver.
Land @, IN missioner Han Defended

the pleasure of meeting General G. NJ
Dodge, who, in company with Colonies
W. W. Walters Of Baltimore and G. +
Meeks of DesMoines, and Major john
Adamson of the Fort Worth and Denver,
were in the city after an ex'
tended tour over the road. Genera
Dodge is looking hale and hearty and his
physical condition apparently guarantees
him many years of life and usefulness
In a conversation with THE GAZETTE
scribe General Dodge expressed himself
freely on the subject of railroad building
and the settlement Of the country.
Said General Dodge: eyes, sir; we
have been over the line of the Fort
| Worth and Denver and are now on our
way east. l am much pleased with the
outlook as far as the road is concerned
We are nearing the Canadian river and
J will continue building as fast as practics-
BILE until the line is completed"
CHOW is the country settling up?"
"That IS question which exercises me
more than little. The Panhandle is not
settling as fast as it ought
to, nor as fast as people
would like to settle it. The fact is that
your state laws are defective in the most
important particular; people coming In
or desiring come in 90 not know and
cannot ascertain with that degree OF GER
tainty necessary TO inspire confidence,
the nece 'sary information relative to
land titles. There are thousands Of
acres Of land in the Panhandle
and there are thousands of families that
want to enter upon them and build homes,
but no one knows where to settle and no
one can find out anything about title. l
have received numbers of letters from
parties who desire to locate in that terri
tory or who have been over the ground
and desire to purchase homes,
asking me about the title
to the lands. They do not care what the
price is or how long time they Will have
TO pay for them; they want something
certain and permanent. AS it is, there are
lands that may be classed as agricultural,
or may not. 1t depends on the agent.
For my part am at loss to know lust
where IN the Panhandle to find
lands that are not suited for agricultural
purposes. Agricultural lands, as l un-
dersrand them, are those that may be
plowed up, titled, and upon which crops
may be raised. II there is any other sort
of land in the Panhandle my observations
have failed to reveal them to me. The
fact is that all, or nearly all, lands in
the Panhandle are good agricultural
lands, and nothing else can be made out
of them. That Is how | estimate them,
and that is how those who go there for
the purpose of Investigation regard them.
What we want is something definite
something certain in regard to
classification and title. People are
deferred from settling on public lands as
long as the title is subject to the possibly
vaccilating judgment OF any man. OF
course, theoretically the sctual settler is
given precedence over the stockman, but
practically the leasing system is an in
surmountable barrier to bona fide settle
ment. believe that Land Commissioner
Hall is an able, conscientious officer who
has the interest of the state at heart and
who is really ANXIOUS to carry out the
policy of the state, in settling and devel-
opiRg the west, but the uncertainty and
viciousness OF The land system prevents
him from accomplishing his desires. Cat
tlemen naturally desire to retard settle
ment as it is to their interest to do so,
and cattlemen rule in that section.
II the state officials antsgoniZe
will suffer from their enmity. / am any,
ious and, though perplexed at tines,
hopeful that the state will soon see her
put quietus on land classification end
land titles in the west. Hundreds
OF families go in there for
the purpose of settling, but
conclude thst New Msx3co is s safer
place on account Of the land law
There was only brief pause in the
conversation, but short as 1t Wss Major
Adamson found room to straighten up
and place himself in an attitu e ready
for defamation.
Said Msior Adamson: "This land
question in the Panhandle is q big thing
and large bodies move slowly. 1 was
through the west with Land Commission
er Hall (Msjor Adamson called him sDick
Hail. but the courteous scribe cannot be
too fsmiliar) and Texas to-day does not
contain man better posted on land mat
tiers or one who desires to do what
is to the best interests Of the country
He has been over the ground-rode night
and day-talked with the people, not
alone the csttlemep, but the nesters and
squatters, and he is determined to do the
best that can be done for all. He A.
preciates that the settlement of the west
is of tantamount Importance and every
foot of land leased is subject to the actual
settler. OF course there are old leases and
very naturally there is a moral effect Of
the lease system which retards settlemenf
and which have no desire to defend, bat
what l know and what desire to eul7
phasizs is this: The Panhandle is going
TO be settled and Dick Hall is going TO do
all in his power TO expedite It's settles
ment."
The scribe was in mortal sgony lestfhe.
Major should get over in the back 81 the
dictionary where the big words do bust
ness on the ground floor, but his fears
were allayed by seeing the Msior settle
himself in a chair as one who had said
and done all that was necessary.
It was only few minutes until the
chilly night winds admonlshed the scribe
that he was fitting towards the office
with a pocket full OF notes, which are
here transcribed, amplified and pre-
oaptod 70 an anyioua publjc ga only TIE